Researchers from Japan have managed to reconstruct the appearance of colossal octopuses that inhabited the global ocean during the Cretaceous period—specifically, between roughly 100 and 72 million years ago. Their findings have been published in the journal Science.
Soft-bodied invertebrates tend to leave very few traces in geological strata, necessitating that the scientists focus on the rare elements that do persist well: their beaks, which are hard, chitinous jaws. It was through analyzing the shape and wear patterns of these beaks that the researchers could restore the animals’ physical appearance and gain insight into their habits. The estimated body length for these cephalopods ranged from 7 to 19 meters, leading the study’s authors to conclude they were the largest described invertebrates, comparable in scale to the giant marine reptiles that coexisted with them.
The abrasion marks observed on the beaks suggest these creatures held the apex predator niche, preying on large victims such as plesiosaurs and mosasaurs. Furthermore, the researchers noted an asymmetry in the wear of the jaws, a feature that might imply behavioral asymmetry in the animals themselves. Scientists posit that this points toward a complex brain structure and potentially high levels of intelligence.
The study also addresses the potential link between these fossils and the Kraken legends. While some researchers suggest that myths about a monstrous sea beast might have originated from encounters with giant squid, the recovered octopuses existed too far in the past to be the direct source of these tales. Nevertheless, their sheer size aligns well with the descriptions found in the legendary accounts.
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